Floodplain Grassland in the Lee Valley
The wet grasslands, swamps, marshes and fens provide a transition between open water and dry land. Wet grasslands typically have a network of water-filled ditches with standing water and are affected by shallow seasonal flooding. They are traditionally managed by grazing, using cattle from Lee Valley Park Farms. These sites provide excellent habitat for wading birds such as Snipe and Redshank as well as rare plants such as Creeping Marshwort.
Like many wetland habitats, the extent of wet grassland and fen has reduced dramatically as a result of land drainage and river canalisation. The challenge in managing existing sites and creating new ones is to keep them wet using a system of sluices and ditches. The changes in rainfall patterns that are predicted through climate change models will require us to think up new ways of maintaining the biodiversity value of these sites.
Areas of wet grassland and fen extends throughout the Regional Park. For examples of wet grassland in the north, pay a visit to Cornmill Meadows Dragonfly Sanctuary and Hall Marsh Scrape or further south, head for Walthamstow Marshes.